"Yuan Ye-laoshi?"

The director's assistant came over to talk to Yuan Ye, bending down to call him. It was raining and they were on a break. Yuan Ye was listening to the song Yang Siran had given him with his headphones on.

He heard someone calling him to take off his headphones, then the person said, "The director wants you to come over. He wants to discuss something with you."

"Sure," Yuan Ye handed his phone back to Yang Siran and smiled at the director's assistant. "Next time, just give me a call. You don't have to keep running back and forth like this."

The director's assistant scratched his head and laughed. "You still have to be able to hear me though."

Yuan Ye raised an eyebrow and took out his phone, seeing the missed call on it. He chuckled, "Ha, I really didn't hear you."

On Director Lin Feng's set, it was a rule that all phones must be on silent, and everyone communicated through walkie-talkie earphones. No one was allowed to speak loudly on set, and the entire place was quiet.

This wasn't just for this movie, but for all of Lin Feng's previous productions. He didn't like it when the set was as noisy as a market. And for this particular film, where the main character was mute, it was even more important to maintain silence.

"What's up, Director Feng?" Yuan Ye arrived at the director's tent, and someone made room for him to sit next to the director. "What's going on?"

Lin Feng called out to him, "Little Yuan."

"Yeah?" Yuan Ye nodded. "What's up?"

Lin Feng asked him, "Do you think it's feasible to shoot these two scenes on a rainy day?"

Yuan Ye shook his head directly, "No, it's not possible."

The producer frowned beside them, looking worried. "Yuan-laoshi, the weather conditions are the issue. We have to leave next week, and there are nearly ten scenes that require clear skies that we haven't filmed. If it doesn't clear up later, we'll be in trouble."

It's been raining a lot lately, as it's the local rainy season. There's nothing anyone could do about it. Yuan Ye asked the director, "What does the forecast say? Have you checked?"

"Two clear days next week, the rest will be rainy," Lin Feng sighed and ran his hand through his hair, looking troubled.

"When do we leave?" Yuan Ye asked again.

"Next Wednesday," the producer interjected, adding, "It's too tight on time."

Yuan Ye lowered his head and thought for a while before looking up at the director. "What are you thinking, Brother Feng?"

Lin Feng furrowed his brow and muttered under his breath before saying, "All of these damn scenes have been rainy. The atmosphere is so heavy it feels like we're about to sink a ship. What the hell is this?"

Yuan Ye sighed in agreement. What was the point of him saying anything? The director knew they couldn't change it into a rainy scene. Since they arrived, they had hardly been able to film a few scenes on sunny days, and even those did not pass.

The director had already made up his mind and called Yuan Ye over just to hear his opinion. If Yuan Ye agreed to change it, maybe the director could be persuaded to loosen up a bit.

Before coming, they had already checked the weather forecast with the local meteorological bureau for this period of time. They said that sunny days would account for more than half of the time, and they would film sunny and rainy scenes separately.

But what happened after they arrived? There were hardly any sunny days. There was nothing anyone could do about it. Weather forecasts were just rough estimates, and they were never that accurate. The island was originally rented for forty days, but after the delays, they had already added another ten days. They must leave by next Wednesday as it has already been rented out to others after that.

The conditions were not ideal, but this script was painstakingly crafted by Yuan Ye himself. It's like his own child, and he wouldn't act like someone who could take the easy way out and let the director or producer breathe a sigh of relief.

In the end, the director shook his head and said, "There's no way to change it. There's been too much rain, and even the tone has shifted."

They are currently filming the relatively easy part of the entire film, where the two main characters, the protagonist and his brother, are on the island. There's a sense of isolation and ease, which allows the audience to relax. Originally, they were supposed to shoot with a lot of sunshine, and the director chose this location because of its beauty, a lively little island. However, most of the scenes have been filmed in the rain, which made the effect somewhat oppressive.

The producer said, "Gentlemen, let's be realistic. The conditions don't allow for it. Can we lower our expectations a bit?"

The director and Yuan Ye remained silent, and even the many staff members in the studio didn't say a word. Eventually, Yuan Ye cleared his throat and spoke up, "My recommendation is that we can't make any more changes, but the conditions are indeed limited. You can just take my opinion into consideration. If you want to make changes, let me know, and we'll have to adjust the scene."

The director remained expressionless, but the producer's face didn't look good. Yuan Ye didn't pay much attention to him and continued, "I have a proposal, but I'm not sure if it's feasible. Let's shoot two scenes of the rainy landscape to be safe. When it's sunny, we can shoot some wide shots. If we don't have time for the detailed shots, we can go back to Qingdao to shoot them and then combine them later. We'll see how it looks during the editing."

This was the best solution Yuan Ye could offer, and it was one that he could accept. Changing the entire film to a rain scene would completely alter the tone, and it would be a mess.

The day after, after he exited, he overheard the producer say in the tent, "Too naive. Young screenwriters all have this problem."

Without stopping his movements, he just shook his head and smiled.

In fact, the producer had called him over today to find someone on his side to help persuade the director. However, after the person arrived, he didn't say a single good thing. The producer was not very happy about it, but he could understand.

Their positions and perspectives were different. The producer used his left brain to work, calculating money and operations. The entire crew relied on him to function. The director and screenwriter used their right brain to live, focusing on emotions and pursuing artistic effects. No one can say who is right or wrong.

On Yuan Ye's side, it was raining heavily, and it was no different on Fang Shaoyi's side. After several heavy rains, the whole village became muddy. Fang Shaoyi came back wearing a raincoat and rain boots, drank a bowl of ginger water, and said to Yuan Ye on the phone, "Be careful not to catch a cold."

"I'm fine. I'm tough, you know that," Yuan Ye laughed and replied.

"Mm," Fang Shaoyi agreed. Between the two of them, Fang Shaoyi was the one who was more prone to illness, with a weaker constitution than Yuan Ye.

"Take care of yourself," Yuan Ye asked him softly, "Has your shoulder been hurting these past few days? It's too damp."

It had been too long since they last saw each other, and Yuan Ye's voice sounded soft and gentle. Fang Shaoyi missed him and lowered his voice on the phone, "A little bit."

Yuan Ye smiled and said to him, "Let Xiaotao give you a massage using the massage device."

Old injuries had left him with this problem, causing him to suffer on rainy and cloudy days. Before, Yuan Ye only worried about Fang Shaoyi when it rained, but now he couldn't avoid it himself. When it got damp, his ankle would hurt. Yuan Ye sat cross-legged on the bed, unconsciously pinching his ankle with his hand. He heard Fang Shaoyi say, "I don't need him."

Yuan Ye looked up and smiled, deliberately asking him, 'Then who do you need?'

Fang Shaoyi didn't say anything, only said, 'Who knows.'

Yuan Ye laughed completely, sitting there shrugging and laughing endlessly. After laughing, he softly coaxed, "I'll massage you, not just your shoulders, I'll massage wherever you want."

What a sweet talker.

To outsiders, these two men in their thirties seemed like mature and decisive individuals. Little did they know that in private, they were so affectionate towards each other. Fang Shaoyi particularly enjoyed this dynamic and after not seeing each other for a while, he was breathing a little heavier and asked Yuan Ye, "Where else do you want?"

"I want a lot," Yuan Ye coughed lightly, suddenly lying down and taking a deep breath. He dragged his voice and said, "If you keep teasing me, you'll be responsible for the consequences."

Fang Shaoyi asked him again, "How will I be responsible?"

Yuan Ye covered his face with his arm and gritted his teeth, "When I see you, you won't be able to close your eyes all night. F*cking is enough, just f*ck me hard."

Finally, Fang Shaoyi stopped teasing him and laughed, saying, "You only ever have this on your mind."

"Okay, okay," Yuan Ye nodded on the phone and said, "It's all in my head, your mind must be so clean."

The two of their ages combined was over seventy years, yet they were exchanging such messy words. Halfway through their conversation, Fang Shaoyi's doorbell rang. He told Yuan Ye, "Wait a moment."

Yuan Ye jokingly asked him, "Let me see who the little devil is."

Fang Shaoyi went to open the door, thinking it was probably Ji Xiaotao who had forgotten his room key. But it turned out to be someone else.

Standing outside the door was a young boy, in the film he was someone from the same village. He was only twenty-one years old. Fang Shaoyi didn't expect it to be him, so he kept his hand on the doorknob and asked, "Is there something you need?"

The boy raised the box he was carrying, his voice barely audible and hesitating for a moment before asking softly, "Shaoyi-laoshi, I heard you have an old injury on your shoulder, so I brought this for you. My dad often feels uncomfortable, and I help him with this. Can, can I help you with a massage?"

Fang Shaoyi held his phone tightly in his hand, and on the other end of the line, Yuan Ye raised his eyebrows and chuckled. It really was a little devil?

Fang Shaoyi didn't respond, and the boy's face turned red, feeling a bit embarrassed. Fang Shaoyi asked him, "Did your agent send you here?"

The boy was a little surprised and looked up at Fang Shaoyi. Fang Shaoyi said, "You can go back now, I appreciate the gesture. Give the item to my assistant tomorrow, I won't accept it today."

Fang Shaoyi raised his hand and shook his phone, saying, "My family controls me strictly, please understand."

As he moved, his phone lit up. The call status on the screen made the boy extremely embarrassed. He nodded and said "goodnight," bowed, and then turned and left.

After closing the door, Fang Shaoyi heard Yuan Ye on the other side make a sound of disapproval. "Shaoyi-laoshi, why didn't you accept? At least it was a gesture of goodwill."

Fang Shaoyi was also a bit embarrassed, having let Yuan Ye encounter this. Yuan Ye was intentionally teasing him now. Fang Shaoyi asked, "Should I call him back? Have him massage for me?"

Yuan Ye chuckled lightly and said, "Just try it if you dare."

Fang Shaoyi indeed did not dare. How many nights of punishment would he have to endure?

That night, both of them had nothing to do and were thinking about each other, so they talked on the phone for a long time until Fang Shaoyi fell asleep. As his breathing gradually became steady, Yuan Ye softly asked, "Are you asleep, baby?"

There was no response on the other end, so Yuan Ye kissed the phone before hanging up.

Having not seen Fang Shaoyi for such a long time, Yuan Ye couldn't help but worry about him. He didn't know where this feeling came from. In theory, Fang Shaoyi didn't need him to worry about him because no one in Director Wei's crew would offend him, and Ji Xiaotao was by his side, so everything was stable.

But lately, Yuan Ye couldn't shake the feeling of unease in his heart. He regretted not going to see Fang Shaoyi on his birthday. They were in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, and even after divorcing and getting back together, their emotions were still intense. Yuan Ye couldn't stop thinking about him, especially since they hadn't seen each other in a while.

This feeling of unease reached its peak two days later when it rained heavily. The entire small island where the set was located was covered by dark clouds, making it hard to breathe.

In the end, Lin Feng didn't agree to change the rain scene and decided to film the wide shots on a sunny day and figure out a solution for the close-ups later. If possible, they would come back and shoot a few more scenes on this side after finishing everything.

The rain was so heavy that nothing could be filmed, and even the machines were at risk of getting wet. Yuan Ye felt stuffy inside, and he wanted to go out for some fresh air. He put on a raincoat and decided to take a walk. As he passed by Yang Siran's room, he casually knocked on the door and continued walking without stopping.

Yang Siran poked his head out and looked both ways. When he saw Yuan Ye, he called out, "Brother Yuan Ye!"

Yuan Ye turned around and asked, "I'm going out for a walk, want to come?"

"Sure, wait for me!" Yang Siran went back into his room to grab his raincoat and his assistant shouted at him, "Where are you going in this heavy rain?"

Yang Siran smiled and replied, "I'm going for a walk with Brother Yuan Ye, it's too stuffy in here."

After he finished speaking, he put on his raincoat and went out to chase Yuan Ye, ignoring the assistant's roar inside the house. In fact, in such heavy rain, he felt more carefree. He didn't need to cover or shield himself from the rain. Walking in the rain with his raincoat on gave him a sense of liberation.

Yuan Ye sat on a high rock by the seaside, and Yang Siran sat with him. Looking ahead, there was endless sea water under the rain curtain, giving a feeling of vastness and grandeur.

Writers love this kind of scene, but to others, it may seem crazy.

Being drenched in the rain and feeling the wind blowing, the unsettled and inexplicable thoughts in his mind dissipated a lot. Yuan Ye shouted to Yang Siran, "Shall we go back?"

"If you haven't had enough, let's sit for a while longer!" Yang Siran shouted back, "It feels quite liberating!"

Every day, Yuan Ye brought along this little brother and had gotten used to it. Occasionally, he would joke with him about Geng Jinwei's affairs. Every time he talked about this with Yang Siran, he seemed a little happy. He really liked him, and his pride couldn't be hidden when he mentioned him.

On their way back, Yuan Ye said to him, "Take a shower when we get back. If you catch a cold, I'll be in trouble."

"What does it have to do with you?" Yang Siran shook his head. "I also wanted to go out for a walk. It's too stuffy in the room."

Yang Siran's assistant heard their voices and opened the door. He saw the two of them and grabbed Yuan Ye's arm, shouting, "Brother Ye!"

Yuan Ye was caught off guard and asked him stupidly, "What's going on?"

The assistant pulled him into the room and shut the door, his face twisted in urgency. "Did you forget your phone? Xiaotao has been going crazy trying to find you! He called me and I was just about to go look for you guys!"

Yuan Ye's heart sank almost immediately, his nerves on edge as he reached into his pocket and realized he had indeed forgotten his phone. Yang Siran furrowed his brow and asked the assistant, "What's going on?"

The assistant looked at him and then at Yuan Ye, saying only, "Xiaotao didn't say, but it sounded urgent."

"Okay, I got it," Yuan Ye said before turning and leaving.

Some instincts are subconscious, and very accurate. As he opened the door, Yuan Ye could only think of one thing: why the hell didn't he just call him if he was so uneasy?

He picked up his phone and dialed Ji Xiaotao's number, but it kept ringing without an answer. Yuan Ye's fingertips were trembling and his lips were turning white. After two minutes of trying, Ji Xiaotao was still on the line. Although there should have been a notification for incoming calls, he remained on the phone.

After hanging up, Yuan Ye sent him a message: "Reply, immediately."

During the minute that he waited for the call, Yuan Ye had already changed his clothes and prepared his ID, passport, and wallet. By the time the call came, he was ready to leave at any moment.

He answered the phone with a simple "Mm."

Ji Xiaotao's voice came through the phone, and from the sound of it, he had been smoking and was almost hoarse. He called out "Brother Ye."

Yuan Ye closed his eyes and let out a sound of agreement.

"Can you come back now?" Ji Xiaotao's voice was almost entirely made up of gasps. "My brother..."

His words were hesitant, and Yuan Ye interrupted him, "What's happened to him, how bad is it, and where is he now? Tell me everything in one breath, don't make me ask again."

Ji Xiaotao hesitated for a moment before responding, "The prop car had a blowout."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Yuan Ye's eyelids trembled and he stopped breathing for a few seconds. Ji Xiaotao continued, "The car lost control and flipped over, my brother was trapped underneath. He's still in the emergency room and we don't know his condition yet. They took him to the county hospital nearby, but he may need to be transferred later. The production team has blocked all news, and there's no information leaking out."

After a few seconds, Yuan Ye asked him, "Before they took him away, what injuries could you see?"

"Head, shoulders, steel bars...through the chest," replied Ji Xiaotao in his hoarse voice.

"I'll be right back," Yuan Ye said with closed eyes, his lips trembling but his voice sounding calm. "Hang in there, Tao."

Ji Xiaotao immediately choked up and couldn't speak.

Before hanging up, Yuan Ye called out to him again, knowing what the answer would be but still asking, "Is he still conscious?"

Ji Xiaotao said, "...no."